The Prince and Me
by New Neon
Summary: A series of unrelated Merlin/Arthur drabbles, a few slashy and some only if you tilt your head just so and squint! -
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is Neon Rose here, my account has stopped working so I've had to start a new one (hence the name), so if you had me on Author Alert on that account then you'd be better off adding it to this one as irritatingly I can't update anything on my old account.

Arthur grabbed Merlin by the back of his shirt with another hand pulling at his hip, Merlin was kicking and screaming about how wrong Uther was and screaming at the witchfinder about how he'd not get away with it. He pulled Merlin backwards out of the room, flashing his father an appropriate apologetic smile, the small nod permitted him to leave. Merlin fell into an angry silence as Arthur pushed him down the hallway with one of his arms wrenched up his back forcing the dark haired servant to move or else.

He felt the arm under his hand tense as they entered the dungeon and down the steps, the guards looked up and decided to keep quiet and out of the Prince's way. When Arthur released Merlin he tottered forward briefly but with speed that Arthur would have expected from a knight not his servant Merlin swung a fist in the direction of Arthur's face. Arthur grabbed said fist and spun Merlin with his own momentum and shoved that arm up his back so hard that Merlin's back arched out from the pain. Merlin's head hit Arthur's collarbone and a gasp that was part anger, part pain and part surprise slipped out from his lips.

"I'm not locking you up, you idiot." he hissed against his manservant's neck as he stared straight forward,

"I'm taking you to see him." He said as he released Merlin who again stumbled forward. Merlin stumbled forward again and turned to look at Arthur wide eyed like a lost foal, Arthur felt himself sting a little inside but he simply nodded to the cell at the end of the row.

There Gaius sat dishevelled, old and unwashed. He looked so small and old and tired in that cell, Arthur dreaded to think about what the witchfinder had been doing to him. He pulled the cell door open allowing Merlin in.

"Gaius!" Merlin all but sobbed as he threw himself against his guardian.

"Merlin, my boy." Gaius breathed as he wrapped his arms around Merlin, he cast a grateful look up at the prince who managed to wince out a smile, Gaius shouldn't be there. It was then with all of Merlin's avowals that he would do something that the truth about the bracelets came out, that it belonged to neither of them. Merlin was practically buzzing as he walked out of the jail, he was walking with clear and determined strides and Arthur had to fight himself to make him grab Merlin by the sleeve at the top of the stairs.

"Merlin," He whispered, his fingers wrapped in his servant's sleeve, Merlin stopped and looked down at Arthur who was a few steps lower.

"you can't do this. What if you fail? He will _kill_ you Merlin, you see what he'll do with no evidence, let alone with actual attempts to frame him, which is what he'll say it is. You'll _burn_." Arthur said feeling pain well up inside him at the idea.

"I _have_ to," Merlin insisted, "if I fail then Gaius will be dead already, so he won't miss me. I can't just do nothing." He finished as he pulled himself away from the prince and ran off to go set Gaius free.

Arthur, alone now, felt himself sag. _I would miss you, you fool._

That night Merlin slipped into Arthur's room, Arthur had just been about to blow the candle out and roll over to sleep when the door clicked shut behind Merlin. He glanced up at his servant and smiled, it was a smile of relief.

"Is Gaius okay?" He asked, Merlin nodded mutely still leaning against the wooden door.

"Good." Arthur smiled relieved,

"You did great today Merlin." He added meaning it, Merlin had been very brave. Stupid as well one might argue but brave nonetheless. Merlin winced visibly at that.

"Someone still died today though." Merlin said at last, his voice barely above a whisper.

"He deserved it, he was a murderer." Arthur said coldly. Merlin shook his head at that and opened and closed his mouth a few times as if to speak but could come out with nothing.

"It's not like it was your fault Merlin, he fell." Arthur said soothingly as he reached out for Merlin, his manservant stepped closer to Arthur, apparently unconsciously. The skinny dark haired boy wrapped his arms around himself and shook his head.

"He'll be fine." Merlin said out loud, Arthur wasn't sure if it was for him or for Merlin's own benefit.

"A few good meals and lots of sleep and he'll be okay." He added.

"Good." Arthur nodded quietly.

"Uther," Merlin practically spat, his fists balling up suddenly by his sides, "came by to _apologise_ to Gaius. Said about how he needed to be vigilant against magic and how Gaius was an old friend and he should have trusted him."

Arthur bit his lip and remained silent, so this was why Merlin had come.

"As if _sorry_ just makes what he did better! He's a monster!" Merlin hissed, his voice rising.

"Shh!" Arthur said pulling Merlin down onto the bed, "Be quiet! You don't know who could be listening. Do you know what'd happen if my father ever heard you say that?"

"He'd probably kill me like he does everyone else!" Merlin said venomously. Arthur said nothing to that, Merlin's breath rose and fell raggedly, he was still clearly furious.

"How can he even call himself Gaius' friend and do that?" Merlin said disbelievingly.

"I don't know. My father…" Arthur tried, but there were no words to describe what his father had done. Instead he just gave a tired shrug.

"A friend wouldn't…" Merlin said, his voice almost a whimper. Arthur put a hand on Merlin's back and hoped it'd comfort him somehow. Merlin sat quietly on the edge of Arthur's bed for a while with the Prince's hand between his shoulder blades, then in an oddly detached voice he asked:

"If it'd been us, if I was in Gaius' position and you were King…" He asked quietly.

"Never." Arthur insisted emphatically, Merlin's back relaxed slightly at this.

"As you said, a friend never would do that. And you're my friend Merlin." Arthur hushed his servant as he pulled him close.

"Besides, I trust you. I know you'd never use magic in the first place, so-" Arthur started but was cut off by a sudden sob from Merlin. The boy slumped forwards with his hands over his face and sobbed, his shoulders shaking violently.

"Merlin!" Arthur exclaimed pulling the teen close to him. It must just have all got too much, he reasoned, he'd been desperately trying to save Gaius all day and not slept, then when Gaius was free he had to be strong for him, finally when he was just here with him he must have just cracked. It was strange how things like that could weigh on you forever and then suddenly snap you.

Merlin twisted in his arms and threw himself against Arthur, his face buried in Arthur's bare chest. The prince lay back with his sobbing servant in his arms and felt hot tears run across his skin as Merlin cried and cried. Eventually the tears stopped and Merlin's back stopped shuddering with each ragged breath, Arthur continued to stroke his friend's back though and hush him every so often.

"Perhaps," he said quietly before sniffing loudly, "Uther really does think he's Gaius' friend, even if he isn't at all."

Arthur didn't know what to say to that so simply rubbed Merlin's back again, but Merlin pushed himself up on his elbows and looked Arthur right in the eye.

"And maybe Gaius doesn't want to be Uther's friend because he knows that one day he's not going to be so lucky, but maybe he can't help it because that's not the kind of thing you can take back." Merlin insisted as he studied Arthur's eyes.

"Gaius is a good man, my father knows that." Arthur replied for lack of anything else to say.

"It's not enough though." Merlin said quietly. He let his head fall forward onto Arthur's shoulder again and hiccupped.

"You're right, Gaius is right… one of these days _I'm_ not going to be so lucky and I'll lose my head too." Merlin murmured against the prince's skin.

"No!" Arthur snapped jerking Merlin up, "I would never let that happen, I would never let anyone hurt you. And I would never hurt you either." He insisted again.

"Uther probably said that too." Merlin mumbled. Arthur felt his blood run cold.

"I promise you, I promise on anything you'd care to name. My life, my soul, my mother's grave, _anything._ I would never." He hissed gripping Merlin's shoulder's tightly.

"No matter what? No matter what everyone else said? No matter what you found out? No matter what I did or anything about me?" Merlin pressed him.

"Never." Arthur repeated.

"But… what if it had been me instead of Gaius that was locked up. And what if he'd been right?" Merlin asked so quietly that Arthur wasn't even sure he'd heard him.

"Please Merlin, I think I know you a little better than that." Arthur chuckled mussing his friend's hair. He paused as a light seemed to dim in Merlin's eyes.

"Merlin?" He asked reaching for his friend who was already pulling away and getting off of Arthur's bed.

"I need to get back… you know, Gaius." Merlin mumbled straightening up with his back to Arthur.

"Mer_lin_." Arthur said more sternly as he grabbed the back of the raven haired boy's shirt.

"Sorry about… this, Arthur," Merlin said gesturing to the bed and the still damp patch on Arthur's shoulder, "it won't happen again. Sire." Merlin said backing away with a tight-lipped smile.

"Merlin?" Arthur called ineffectually as the door clicked shut behind him leaving Arthur alone on the rumpled bed sheets. Arthur leant back against the headboard of his bed and rubbed his damp shoulder and felt a loss of something that he couldn't name and wasn't quite aware of.


	2. Chapter 2

"No one must know about this, understand?" Arthur demands, pointing at Merlin and Gaius who sit at his bedside. Merlin nods quickly with a smile still on his face and Gaius nods his assent with what appears to be a suppressed smirk at the edges of his old mouth. They leave him soon enough and Arthur lays back down on his bed, his head still throbbing horribly.

He screws his eyes shut and tries to remember, what on earth convinced him to elope with Sophia? And furthermore how on earth did Merlin, _Merlin,_ manage to knock him out? He lays an arm over his eyes to blot out the light in an attempt to soothe his aching head. Perhaps Merlin snuck up on him? But he had said that he'd been beyond reason, so Merlin surely must have spoken to him before hitting him, so how did he manage it? He tries to imagine various possible scenarios hoping that if he stumbles across a correct one that the sense of familiarity will make him recall the memory.

But no memory comes forth. Arthur yawns and allows himself to fall into sleep.

He's angrily stacking his clothes, still raging at his father's foolishness, how dare he treat him this way? The door opens with a slight squeak and Merlin's standing there, he narrows his eyes at him.

"Get out." He orders angrily as he slams another shirt onto the pile.

"I thought the King was a bit harsh." Merlin says lightly as he walks towards Arthur's bed.

"I don't need sympathy Merlin, especially not from you." He adds as the irritation rushes up his spine like an itch.

"But I did think he had a point." Merlin adds, ignoring Arthur's last remark.

"I ordered you to get out, now leave me!" Arthur growls darkly as he leans forward threateningly towards Merlin.

"I know what you think you're doing, and I know you think you're in love with Sophia but-" Merlin starts, Arthur feels something snap in him.

"Who are **you** to tell me what I'm thinking?!" He snaps furiously.

"I'm your friend." Merlin says gently.

"No, Merlin." Arthur says with a condescending air as he snatches the shirt pile from his bed, "you're my servant."

Merlin's mouth opens slightly at this point, as if to say something but he snaps his jaw shut tight and a wounded look flashes across his face and his Adams apple bobs as he swallows hard, he lowers his head, takes a breath and moves on, thinking of Arthur's wellbeing only.

Arthur sits up abruptly in bed, the vision of Merlin's face still burnt into the back of his eyes. Unbidden another memory floods back to him. He leans against his bedpost, looking at Merlin with a smile who is stacking his pillows and trying to beat them into the right shape.

"I can't order you to lie to the king," he hears himself say, "but… I'll be your friend for life if you do." He says temptingly. He watches as Merlin's brain whirrs, he's clearly deciding what to do. He sees the small smile on Merlin's face that he tries to suppress as he looks up at Arthur.

"Go on then, you don't want to keep her waiting." He says with a long-suffering sigh.

"Thanks Merlin, I won't forget it." He grins hitting Merlin on the arm. He turns to leave but as he shuts the door behind him he catches a glimpse of Merlin's unhidden smile and the glow of happiness from him.

Arthur, sitting in bed, covers his mouth with his hand and feels the guilt spread up his neck. It's hot and it itches, almost like the prickling on his neck that he's felt before throwing up in the past. Suddenly the cause for all of his guilt comes into the room, he stares at the pale dark haired boy, he stops when he sees Arthur.

"You're _still_ in bed? Come on, you're going to be late! Uther will be so angry at you, and if he's angry at you he's angry at me." Merlin sighs pulling the sheets back.

"Of course… my father." Arthur murmurs still not moving.

"Yeah, we're going to have to find something to tell him about why you're late." Merlin nods as he grabs Arthur's clothes. Arthur winces, he dislikes his father being angry at him, but equally he can't ask Merlin to take the fall for him again. What could he promise Merlin if he did? That he'd be his friend for life again? No, that won't do.

"I'll just tell the truth." Arthur declares as he stands up and pulls of his nightshirt and shrugs on his undershirt. Merlin snorts at this.

"Yeah, right." He says disbelievingly. Arthur's head snaps over to Merlin, he's not even looking at him properly, he's holding a jacket against Arthur's shirt to see if it matches.

"You're just going to tell him what then?" Merlin asks handing Arthur the garment, "that you did in fact elope? Do you know what he'd do to you? Not to mention the fact that you were brought back by me?"

"I…" Arthur tries and feels his face heat up and is ashamed to realise that he's already deciding that he won't under any circumstances tell people _that_.

"Anyway, the King would probably still find some way to make that my fault." Merlin shrugs as Arthur fumbles with the tie on his breeches.

"Just… tell him it's my fault somehow. Come up with something." Merlin says waving vaguely in Arthur's direction with a pair of boots. Arthur takes them and hops into them as he follows Merlin out of the room.

When the time comes Arthur finds that the lie slips from his lips easily, and he forces himself to stare straight ahead as his father demands to know if Merlin is wrong in the head.

Later Arthur looks out the window as Merlin is pelted by fruit, he feels bad and tries desperately to feel worse. Yet he seems to find himself incapable. Perhaps it's not Merlin who his father should be accusing of having mental disorders, it's him. He seems to be incapable of being… honest, of being true, of being someone's friend, of being _Merlin's_ friend. Some knight of Camelot he is, some prince.


	3. Chapter 3

"Have you seriously never done this before?" Gwen asked, her eyes wide.

"No," Merlin said shaking his head, "on account of me not being a girl."

"Come on, it's great!" Gwen enthused gesturing to the bowl of cold water and the burning candle next to it where they sat on the table in her house which Gwen had excitedly lit in such a way to create a 'spooky' atmosphere.

"What am I supposed to do then?" Merlin sighed having accepted that this was one of those ideas that Gwen could clearly not be talked out of.

"You're supposed to hold the candle to your heart and wish for it to show you the name of your soul mate, then you pour the wax from the candle into the cold water and it'll form the name of your soul mate." Gwen instructed with a gleeful smile.

"That sounds a little too much like magic for Camelot doesn't it?" Merlin asked arching a dark eyebrow.

"Don't be silly, it's just a game that kids play." Gwen said rolling her eyes.

"No Gwen, it's a game that _girls_ play. I'm not a girl, why am I even doing this?" Merlin said feeling exasperated.

"Because I asked you to, and you promised you'd come over tonight." Gwen said sternly with her hands on her hips.

"But I didn't promise to do th-" he started protesting until Gwen shot him a stern look. When Merlin fell silent she smiled and with a deep breath clutched the candle to her chest before pouring the wax into the water with her eyes shut. Slowly she opened her eyes and looked down at the lumpy blob of wax in the water.

"That doesn't look like any letter _I've _ever seen." Merlin said flatly.

"Hush. Maybe… maybe it's a portrait of him. If you squint or something." Gwen said tilting her head sideways and squinting at the wax.

"Well I wish you and your horribly disfigured future husband all the best." Merlin snorted.

"Oh shut up. It's your turn." Gwen grumbled shoving the candle into Merlin's chest and fishing her still slightly warm wax out of the bowl.

"Oh mystical candle, show me my soul mate." Merlin said with at least six different layers of sarcasm as he held the candle above the bowl.

"With your eyes _closed_ Merlin." Gwen ordered. Merlin sighed and closed his eyes before tipping the candle. If he hadn't have known better he'd have sworn that he felt the light behind his eyes flare up ever so slightly. He heard Gwen gasp and his eyes clicked open.

"I didn't burn you did I? My co-ordination isn't great." Merlin asked worriedly, fearing that he'd klutzily poured hot wax all over his friend, but Gwen was just staring down wide eyed into the bowl. Merlin stood up and looked down to see the perfectly formed letters 'AP' floating in the bowl.

"AP?" Merlin asked confused.

"Do you know anyone with those initials?" Gwen asked excitedly.

"Uh, not that I can think of." Merlin murmured as the words _Arthur Pendragon_ whispered in his brain.

"Try again! Try again! Maybe you'll get a whole name!" Gwen squealed excitedly. Merlin briefly considered protesting before conceding to the point that it was Gwen and therefore much easier to just indulge her rather than not. Merlin closed his eyes again and poured the candle for a little longer into the bowl.

"Oh my god!" Gwen squeaked pointing into the bowl. Merlin leaned forward to see, in perfectly neat gothic script, 'Arthur' floating in the cold water. Merlin's eyes widened and irritatedly he tipped the candle up again and felt the same flare behind his eyes as the wax again resurfaced with the word 'Arthur'. Merlin growled and poured again as Gwen watched open mouthed. This time the word Arthur resurfaced with an exclamation point added to it for good measure.

"I'm going home." Merlin grumbled slamming the candle down and leaving without a backward glance to the stunned Gwenivere.

Merlin fumed as he stomped through the castle on the way back to his and Gauis' quarters, it was enough that he had to deal with the damn Prince and that stupid dragon every day but did the whole world have to rub the fact that he and Arthur were bound together for all time in his face? As if to mock him further the Prince Arthur himself appeared around the corner at just that moment, he looked up to see Merlin and smiled and waved a hand in greeting.

"Merlin!" He grinned at his servant.

"Go away! Stop following me!" Merlin snapped as he ran past the incredibly confused prince.

"Hey! You can't talk to me like that!" Arthur called after his retreating manservant.

"Get lost _sire_." Merlin shouted over his shoulder as he slammed the door to his quarters. Arthur stood in the hallway with his hands on his hips unsure of what exactly he'd done to put Merlin in such a foul mood but very certain that he'd make Merlin regret it the next morning when it came to Arthur giving out the jobs for the day.


End file.
